To become an Apple Authorised reseller, you must be a business owner. A number of people want to be part of this business expansion opportunity because of its ready market. You will be able to buy and resell Apple’s hardware and software products to individuals as well as small and medium-sized businesses.
You are also trained on how to repair computers and electronics. Being Apple’s authorized reseller to earn from product sales is an opportunity that should be effectively maximized. That is why this article is focused on helping you with tips and tricks to help you succeed. Let’s get started.
- How do I Start Selling Apple Products?
- How do I Become an Authorized Apple Seller?
- Is it Legal to Resell Apple Products?
- How do Apple Resellers Make Money?
- What Does it Mean to be an Authorized Apple Reseller?
- How Can I Buy Apple Products in Bulk?
- How Much Does it Cost to Become Apple Certified?
- Why Apple Logo is Half Bitten?
- Is Target an Apple Authorized Reseller?
- What is the Profit Margin on an iPhone?
- What is The Markup on Apple Products?
- Is Amazon an Authorized Reseller of Apple?
- What is The Difference Between Apple Authorized Reseller And Premium Reseller?
- How do I Buy Directly From Apple?
- Is There an Advantage to Buying at Apple Store?
- How Can I Buy Cheap Apple Products?
- Do Apple Employees Get Free Apple Products?
- Why is Apple Cheaper on Amazon?
How do I Start Selling Apple Products?
Evaluate your business
To meet the basic requirements of an Apple reseller, you have to evaluate your business from the financial point of view because you are required to buy at least $100,000 worth of equipment every year. You also need to have an account with an authorized Apple distributor.
Assess your ability
You need to be sure that you have the ability to market and sell Apple products and meet up with the policies, terms and conditions required to be part of the program. You should be able to offer direct presale and post sale support for all the products.
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Prepare your documents
Compile all the necessary documents for application. You are required to submit copies of your business liability insurance and business license. Photos of your business are also compulsory. These photographs should show that your business is professionally positioned if you are to be Apple’s representative in the sale of its computer and electronic products.
Prepare your references
Apple usually asks for three reference letters from reputable individuals. Contact any of your established clients or vendors for references. Professionals in the same industry who you have transacted business with can also be contacted.
Review your documents
Go through the requirements for application to be sure that all the copies are complete. The format to be used should be PDF, JPEG, GIF or PNG. Review the photos as well. Remember that these should be photographs of your sales location.
Go online
Visit the Apple Reseller program summary website and read the instructions. Go through Apple’s terms to be sure your business complies fully with all these terms. Look for the apply button to send in your application.
When you qualify, you should be careful not to use Apple and any related names in a misleading way in the course of your business. In addition, your business photographs must never show you are using the Apple brand name to sell any of your existing products. These are policy agreements that must not be violated.
You must have the authority to provide the information that is required. There is an “I Agree” button that you should click to verify that you have this authority. On no account should you submit the application if you are uncertain of this factor if you have partial or incomplete information.
The next thing is to wait for Apple to evaluate the application. If you are successful, you will receive an application approval email. Follow the link on the mail to accept this agreement. Congratulations! You are now an Apple Authorized Reseller to earn from product sales.
How do I Become an Authorized Apple Seller?
Apple may arguably be the most recognizable tech name on the planet. The company reportedly generated around $260 billion in 2017 alone. Part of their success is due to how picky they are about who is allowed to sell their products. It is a long process, but you are virtually guaranteed success in becoming an Authorized Apple Dealer.
Learn About Apple
Read and thoroughly review Apple’s site for the Apple Authorized Service Provider Program. There are many steps to becoming an Authorized Apple Dealer, because the goal of the company is to keep itself exclusive and have all dealers follow its higher standard of service and care.
Open an Apple Account
You must have an existing account in good standing with an authorized Apple distributor. Most people who want to become Authorized Apple Dealers have already created this relationship and other Apple connections. From those connections, you must have two clients, vendors or other Apple industry-related connections who will vouch for you.
Stock Up on Inventory
Committing to this role is committing to purchasing a large amount every year. The minimum is $100,000 of certified Apple products from your distributor. The products can be sold from a retail location, business-to-business only or online.
Get Apple Certified
How well do you know and understand Apple products? To be approved to become an Authorized Apple Dealer, you must be able to successfully promote Apple products and support clients with any issues, following the company’s corporate standards. All terms and conditions and policies must be strictly adhered to. Be prepared to have proof of any Apple certifications you already have.
Follow the Apple Checklist
Apple’s site will offer a checklist and more than adequate support to ensure you have all you need before you apply. At the minimum, you will need proof of your relationship with your Apple distributor, recommendation letters from two clients or other Authorized Apple Dealers, your business license, proof of insurance, tax ID and company logo. Verify what format is best, but often PDF or JPEG is standard.
Submit an Application with Images
The application process has two steps. You must submit the application along with the necessary images. It takes about six months for Apple to make a decision on whether to authorize applications or not. If yes, Apple will send you an email saying you are approved, then you must accept the Authorized Apple Dealer agreement.
Steve Jobs once said, “That’s been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex; you have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.” Make a simple checklist, and keep going through toward your end goal of being an Authorized Apple Dealer. Even Jobs himself started out of a garage. Success will reward your perseverance.
Is it Legal to Resell Apple Products?
You are free to resell any lawfully purchased item and you are not required to purchase from an authorized source, but doing so ensures the best chances that you are dealing in legit product. If the products turn out to be counterfeit you are responsible for that unless you have a written indemnification from the seller, which case depending may be worthless.
Further, if what you have amounted to a grey-market good because it is “materially different” from what your target market would otherwise expect, this is also a form of trademark infringement.
An example of this would be some electronics you purchase on close-out that are all Apple brand legit but made for the Russian market and therefore have different components and no warranty. This of course is not what your US market would expect to buy and is materially different enough to cause a legal issue.
Further, if you are using third-party platforms to distribute your products such as Amazon, Alibaba, eBay, etc. know that many brand owners abuse the system and seek to mitigate unauthorized channels by claiming infringement even when no such trademark infringement exists.
These platforms have no choice but to respond which usually means that your listing is shut down, sometimes your accounts are closed, and really with no recourse regards to the platform as you operate on them on their terms, not yours. While you may have legal action against the complaining party many small operators will never pursue such a claim because of the expense and effort involved, which these large players are well aware of.
Lastly, you should never assume you can use the copyright-protected images of the manufacturer to promote the sale of their products. You need a license for that or just create your own.
How do Apple Resellers Make Money?
Stores such as Best Buy and Walmart presumably are able to purchase product from Apple at “wholesale” prices. Internally, Apple probably “sells” stock to its retail stores at the same or similar prices. All of the retail stores, be it Best Buy, Walmart, or Apple, mark up the products in the same way as they would any other product.
Apple has traditionally had agreements in place with its retail partners that limit the discounts they can make available on its products in order to maintain a consistent pricing model.
There is probably some flexibility in these agreements as retailers such as Walmart have discounted Apple products slightly in the past, but generally, you don’t see a lot of variation in prices on Apple’s products.
Let’s say Apple build and ships an iPad for $400.
If they sell it in the Apple store for $500 they make $100.
If they sell it to Best Buy for $450 and Best Buy sells it for $500, then each makes $50. Apple does this since it helps them sell more iPads than their stores alone would. Best Buy does it to make money and bring people into their stores.
The fact that Apple sells so much direct to consumers is part of why they are so profitable.
What Does it Mean to be an Authorized Apple Reseller?
An Apple Authorized Reseller (AAR) is a business partner that has entered into a contractual relationship with Apple Computer Inc., to sell software and/or hardware products. The Apple website maintains lists of authorized corporate resellers and catalog/Internet resellers.
According to Apple, authorized resellers in the United States can establish their own return and refund policies. If the authorized reseller won’t accept the Apple product return, Apple will accept the return within 14 days of the purchase under certain circumstances.
How Can I Buy Apple Products in Bulk?
If you’re wanting to buy Apple products at wholesale prices and resell them, you likely need to become an Apple reseller. It’s very difficult to do and you have to accept that you will likely make no money on Apple products. Rather you will make your money (f you’re successful) selling other high margin products and services along with Apple products.
People will come to you for Apple products and then buy other things. The Apple products are loss-leaders. Apple sells to resellers at about an 8% discount on average. Once you take overhead and costs into account (credit card fees alone will wipe out your margin) you’ll end up losing money.
The only Apple product a reseller can actually make money on is the iPhone. That’s not because they get a big discount from Apple but because carriers attach a bonus for every iPhone sold that ends up making money if you sell enough and meet your goals.
How Much Does it Cost to Become Apple Certified?
Becoming Apple Certified costs $20 x 2 and a couple hours of your time. The certs are open book exams that do require some thinking, but you are free to use any resources to help you. Expect about 70 questions on each certification. Nearly all of the content is either something you already know from your work in the field, or it is something that you can easily review on the internet.
The result is that you can become JUST AS APPLE CERTIFIED as any Apple Authorized Service Center.
Why Apple Logo is Half Bitten?
Rob Janoff, who is the designer of the rainbow-coloured logo of Apple, tells us the two main reasons for the half-eaten Apple logo.
The first reason is quite simple actually. In an interview, he revealed that he kept a bite in the Apple for the scale so that people don’t confuse it with a cherry or a tomato.
The second reason was about relatability. For him, it was an iconic experience to take a bite from an Apple; and it’s something which everyone has experienced so they could understand it profoundly.
Apart from that, people believe that the bite was there to play along with computer buffs; because it was a homophonic word that sounded like a byte. A byte is a unit of digital information that is used in telecommunication and computing.
There had also been many other theories that suggest that it has links to Sir Isaac Newton who discovered gravity while sitting under an apple tree. Others also claim that it might be a reference to Adam and Eve and how the bite of an apple banished them from paradise.
So, as you can see there have been several suggestions and theories about why the Apple logo is half-eaten. But all claims have been denied by Rob Janoff and the real reason has been revealed as mentioned.
Is Target an Apple Authorized Reseller?
You might have seen other places that serve almost as third-party Apple Stores, like Best Buy, B&H Photo, Walmart, and Target. These stores usually have a small dedicated section where they sell Apple products, as well as service them (depending on the store).
However, you can usually also find smaller, locally-owned shops that provide the same service. These are all called Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASPs) and Resellers (AARs), and while they’re not genuine Apple Stores, they’re as close as it gets in certain areas.
It’s important to note the distinction between Authorized Service Providers and Authorized Resellers, though. The latter only sells Apple products. So places like Walmart, Target, and carrier stores are Authorized Resellers that sell Apple products in some capacity, but they don’t offer any repair services. Authorized Service Providers, on the other hand, can sell Apple products, as well as service and repair them (e.g. Best Buy, Simply Mac, etc.).
What is the Profit Margin on an iPhone?
Since its now-famous beginning in a California garage, Apple has grown into one of the biggest companies in the world; its market capitalization nearing one trillion U.S. dollars. The company brings in hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars in revenue each year and has revolutionized the consumer electronics industry time and time again with a range of massively successful product lines.
Although still primarily a consumer electronics vendor, the company has also begun to branch out into a variety of service-based businesses including Apple Pay, iTunes, and iCloud storage.
In addition to its gross margin, Apple also reports various profit margins that help to add more context to the company’s financial health. The company’s service sector has a profit margin of nearly 60 percent, while its iPhone products make a profit of over 35 percent.
What is The Markup on Apple Products?
Because Apple customers view Apple’s products as worth the prices Apple charges.
You might ask why the same isn’t true for Android phones or Windows PCs. The reason is that competition drives the price down for those products.
If you like Android phones, there are probably several dozen companies making them,and the primary way in which they distinguish themselves is price. Because when it comes right down to it, one Android phone is pretty much like the next one.
Despite the claim that Android is an open OS, the fact is that Google tightly controls the use of the Android name. Phone makers can’t call their phones Android phones unless they include software required by Google. (That’s the reason that Amazon doesn’t use the Android name for their phones and tablets.)
The same is true of Windows PCs. Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc. all make virtually identical computers.
But Apple is the only company selling phones and tablets with iOS, and the only company selling computers with macOS. They are (so far as I know) the only phone and tablet company using chips of their own design, optimized for their own OS.
Is Amazon an Authorized Reseller of Apple?
Amazon.com recently became an Authorized Reseller of Apple products, meaning that Apple specifically approved the sale of its products on Amazon and, as a result, can better control its sales on the online marketplace.
This also means that only Amazon or other Apple-authorized sellers can sell certain Apple devices on its online marketplace—Amazon third-party sellers cannot in the absence of permission from Apple to do so.
These devices include computers, iPads, Apple Watches and Apple TV, and will likely include iPhones soon. This arrangement affects the sales of Apple products on Amazon in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Japan and India.
What is The Difference Between Apple Authorized Reseller And Premium Reseller?
Apple has set up two categories of stores to sell their products in countries where there aren’t any flagship Apple Stores. They are
- Apple Authorized Resellers
- Apple Premium Resellers
The difference between the two is how and what they sell.
The Apple Authorized Resellers are those which sell multiple products from multiple brands at the same stores, like Croma, Vijay Sales, etc.
On the other hand, the Apple Premium Resellers are those which sell only, and only Apple products. The likes of Maple, Unicorn, Aptronix, etc.
When you step into an Apple Authorized Reseller store, you may find only one or two Apple sales representatives to guide you with. While with the Premium Reseller, you’ll have multiple people, and they possess a far better knowledge of Apple products than the Authorized Reseller guys. Also, you may be able to avail Apple’s training programs from the Premium Resellers. (I got a hands on training session when I bought a MacBook Air from Maple)
The Premium Resellers have the Apple devices lined up at the MRP, or maybe a little bit less. But the Authorized Resellers give bigger discounts, sometimes upto 15–20%. But that is only for limited durations, of course.
How do I Buy Directly From Apple?
You can purchase iPhone through apple.com, or at an Apple Store. You may also be eligible for Personal Pickup with your iPhone purchase. Personal Pickup lets you purchase your iPhone online and pick it up in an Apple Store. To purchase online, visit the iPhone page and choose your iPhone.
Is There an Advantage to Buying at Apple Store?
Aside from the service and other qualitative aspects of dealing directly with Apple, the only “advantage” of purchasing direct from the company is the up to date warranty registration. If you purchase your Apple product through a 3rd party, Apple will have on file an “estimated” purchase date based on the model’s manufacturing date.
If you want to claim all of the 365 days on your warranty, you will have to send them the receipt (a scan or picture suffices) in addition to other purchase information so they can update their database to reflect the exact date of purchase.
Other than that, it makes little difference at the end of the day.
How Can I Buy Cheap Apple Products?
Apple products are expensive, but that doesn’t mean you should settle for anything less than what you want. In fact, if you know how to shop right, there are a few ways you can reduce the cost of your next iPhone, iPad, or Mac purchase.
Sign Up For Apple’s Credit Card
Apple recently revamped its Apple Store Credit Card. This card offers 0% financing on Apple Store purchases made in the first 30 days of account opening, and the promotional period lasts up to 18 months. If you plan on financing your product on a credit card, this 0% promotional period can save you a pretty penny.
Additionally, the Barclaycard Visa with Apple Rewards earns points that can be redeemed for iTunes and Apple Store gift cards. The card earns 3 points per $1 spent at the Apple Store, 2 points per $1 spent at restaurants, and $1 point per dollar on all other purchases. You can redeem your points for a $25 gift card after you earn 2,500 points.
The card’s earnings on Apple Store purchases is actually quite good as it works out to 3% back on Apple Store purchases. However, other annual-fee free cards offer up to 4% cashback on restaurant purchases, and other cards offer 2% cashback on all purchases. If iTunes gift cards aren’t your thing, check out our list of the best cashback credit cards to find one that better suits you.
Check Out Apple’s Education Store
Apple’s Education Store offers discounts on iPads and Macs purchased by students, school teachers, professors, and faculty, or parents of college students. The discount ranges between $50 and $300 off depending on the product, so make sure to check out Apple’s Education Store if you’re eligible.
Education sales aren’t limited to Apple either: Best Buy also offers education discounts on iPads and Macs throughout the year. These deals are that are very competitive with Apple’s, so make sure to comparison shop during the back-to-school season.
Wait for Apple’s Back-to-School Sale
Speaking of education, Apple holds an annual back-to-school promotion where it throws in a free gadget with a laptop or iPad education purchase. Recently, Apple has included Beats headphones with iPad and Mac purchases and offered iPods in the past. The deal usually runs from August to September.
Buy Apple Certified Refurbished
Apple’s Refurbished Store offers recent model devices for hundreds of dollars below their retail price; generally 15-20% off, so make sure to price compare against authorized resellers. All products on this store are refurbished by Apple and receive new batteries, are fully restored to factory settings, and are guaranteed to look like new.
Most importantly, these products come with Apple’s standard one-year AppleCare warranty with the option of extension with AppleCare+. This means that all products are covered the same as a new Apple product, so all manufacturer defects are covered.
The only real difference between a Certified Refurbished and a new Apple product is the box the device comes in. A refurbished unit comes in a plain white box that’s marked as “Certified Refurbished”. Other than that, you’re getting a like-new device on the cheap.
Check Apple Authorized Resellers
Apple partners with a number of authorized resellers like Walmart, Amazon, and B&H Photo. Sometimes these resellers have an overstock of a specific device, so they’ll sell it under the original retail price. Further, some retailers offer bundle deals. For example, it may throw in an extra charger, case, or headphones with the purchase of an iPad.
Additionally, resellers like Adorama and B&H sell Apple products tax-free in most states. Depending on where you live, this can save you a sizeable amount of money–in some cases, even more than Apple’s education discount.
A special note on iPads: resellers like Best Buy, Staples, Target, and Walmart often offer competitive deals. As of October 2019, Best Buy even offers weekly discounts on select Apple products for My Best Buy members. Check Brad’s Deals regularly for the best iPad deals across all authorized resellers to make sure you get the best deal.
Wait for Black Friday/Cyber Monday
Many Apple Authorized Resellers have Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales annually. Generally, we see the latest Apple products (and their respective accessories) get deep discounts.
Retailers to look out for include Walmart, Target, MacMall, and Best Buy. Though it’s increasingly rare, Apple sometimes offers its own deals too, for example, in 2017 it included an Apple Store gift card with certain holiday purchases.
Do Apple Employees Get Free Apple Products?
As an employee you get 25% of discount on the first unit of any product you buy, so you can buy one of each Apple product line (iPhone, iPad, MacBook…) after that you have a family and friends discount, which allows you to buy up to 10 units with 15% of discount.
Every three years that you are working there you get a bonus of $500 to buy anything you want, and you can combine that with your employee discount(25%) so you kinda can get an iPhone for free every three years.
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There is also some special promo items every quarter, mostly products that they have too many on stock, and special occasions like the release of the apple watch where all the employees got a 50% off p-code.
Why is Apple Cheaper on Amazon?
Amazon’s primary means of attraction to its customers is that it offers them generous discounts on similar apple products that you would get from an Apple store. Apple has a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price on all its products.
As such, it sells its products to various distributors, like Amazon, for less than this amount to allow the provision of a reasonable profit margin for the distributor. Apple gives an excellent wholesale price to Amazon as long as it buys in huge bulk and commits to massive purchases in advance.
Owing to Amazon’s efficient distribution model that does not utilize the entire profit margin allowed by Apple, customers can get much lesser prices on genuine Apple products. Apple only gets about 20% of Amazon’s total sales.
If Apple provides too little of a profit margin to its resellers, the resellers would not stock their products or would discourage customers from purchasing the products. Therefore, Amazon trims its profit margins to tiny amounts to attract more customers to buy their goods at lower prices.
More so, Amazon has several sources of income other than selling apple products. For instance, it contains numerous advertisements for various brands and products. The platform gains a significant profit from displaying these advertisements. As such, the platform can afford to trim its profit margins to tiny amounts for its customers.